Part of the joy of owning your own home or farm (or farmhouse, for that matter) is being able to put your own unique decorative twist on it. This isn’t something that you can do when you’re stuck renting property from someone else. There’s something special about looking around your property on a daily basis and knowing and feeling that it is genuinely yours.

That’s true of big, expensive decorating splashes, sure, but it’s also true of small yet substantive decorative touches such as sconces. Here’s a quick intro to the world of home and farmhouse sconce options along with a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of them.

Sconce 101

For those not in the know, a sconce is a lighting fixture that is attached solely to the wall with a light that is primarily directed upwards. These types of light fixtures go back to the 17th and 18th century -- think the candelabrum you see in Neoclassical and Gothic architecture. They are thus fantastic choices for adding a touch of class to a wall while imbuing a room with subtle mood lighting.

It can also be used for accent lighting to help illuminate something on a wall. For example, if you have a bookshelf or some porcelain, pictures, or pieces of art that you’d like to have lit up for display without the clutter and obtrusiveness of a traditional lamp, a sconce can be a great way to accomplish that. In addition, they can be great for bedroom lights, affording you a light for late-night reading while saving valuable space on your nightstand.

They can also be used for exterior lighting as well as lighting schemes for properties besides your home. A farmhouse sconce, for example, is just as it sounds -- a light fixture hung entirely on your wall that has its light angled entirely or mostly towards your barn or farmhouse’s roof.

Finding the Right Sconce for You

Of course, not all sconces are created equal nor are they made with the same intended usages in mind. Sconces can be great choices for bedroom mood lighting and farmhouse lights but the models that you use for one option might not work with the other.

For example, your farmhouse is a larger space than your bedroom. It, therefore, needs a stronger light in order to keep everything illuminated. If you try to use that same lighting setup in your bedroom, forget mood lighting or light reading before bed; you may as well try and go to sleep while lying beneath a bright spotlight. On the flip side, soft mood lighting can leave you fumbling around in the dark if you try and set it up in your farmhouse.

Check out HGTV’s sconce gallery here: https://photos.hgtv.com/photos/wall-sconce-

You thus want to pay close attention to the wattage of the sconce lights you choose. Ideally, you should save higher-wattage bulbs for darker, larger areas such as farmhouses and certain living and dining room setups. Conversely, lower-wattage bulbs can be great for smaller, more intimate spaces.

In addition, the shades that drape those lights can make a big difference. Some sconces have high, thick shades that help diffuse the light somewhat. This can be helpful if you want a light that’s bright enough to really illuminate a room without making it “too” bright. These illuminated shades can also serve as a decorative feature themselves.

With that in mind, you’ll want to give some thought as to how your sconce meshes with your décor. Sconces can often be quite ornamental with many heralding back to past centuries to draw upon those aforementioned Neoclassical and Gothic-inspired design schemes. On the other hand, there are also sconces that are quite modern with sleek, minimalist metallic finishes.

Sconce Setup Matters

Part of that has to do with how you angle your sconce. For example, if you are trying to illuminate your whole farmhouse’s interior, you naturally want the lights of your farmhouse sconce to point straight up towards the ceiling. On the other hand, if you want your sconces to illuminate something such as a picture, you may want to try and angle them so the light catches the object in question better.

Hallways are an interesting case. They are longer but narrower than rooms without being as large as farmhouses. As such, they offer a unique lighting opportunity.

On the one hand, you could choose to get in touch with your inner Jean Cocteau and go with a moody dream-like lighting scheme a la La Belle et la Bête. On the other hand, maybe moodiness isn’t your thing and you’d prefer bright, warmly lit interiors, including your hallway. Either way, a sconce can play a huge role in realizing and complementing your decorating ambitions.

Here’s a handy article on how to install your Sconce.

No matter your decorating taste, there’s a sconce out there for you; with these tips, you’ll be able to become “ensconced” in the world of sconce lights for homes and farms. Check out our shop of handcrafted light fixtures, made with lots of love in Charleston, SC.

What is a Farmhouse Sconce?